Friday, December 07, 2007

Northwest Iowa

This weekend we're headed to the NW corner of Iowa. I told Isaac about it last night and he said, "IOWA!!! IOWA!!! YES! I WANT TO GO TO IOWA!" (brief pause) "What is Iowa Mom?" (I assured him it is WONDERFUL.)

The traveling team for the weekend: T&T - Hope and Ike - Paige and Lydia. Noah and Phoebe are benched. Britt has a full calendar including her very own speaking gig in MN on Saturday morning, so she can't come. For the record, we did not bench her. Never.

Tess will be taking Phoebe. Lisa and Declan will be taking Noah. Declan is about 7 feet tall. We're encouraging Noah to try and push him around ... maybe Declan can knock some sense into the boy before we return. Noah just said, "They don't got any kids mom." Either he knows they will spoil him, or he finds that to be very curious. Or both.

We're staying with my Uncle Rick and Aunt Dianne in Spirit Lake, then spending all of Sunday in the Dutch command post for the entire Midwest; Orange City, Iowa. We'll spend that afternoon with my first cousin, Steve Pals and his family. Orange City is one of those places where people still walk around in this outfit:Hope walked up while I was looking for this picture. She frowned and said, "Who are those ladies. They don't look so nice. Their skirts are waaaay up on their tummy." (Never mind the wood blocks on their feet.)

I am going to spend all of our drive-time helping Troy understand WHICH Dutch jokes will be well-received and which ones he needs to table. The teasing within a marriage might not be acceptable when used on a church full of strangers.

That is the weekend plan - the full report. It will be wonderful. Isaac says so.

Recently I was listening in while my mother talked to a long lost relative on the phone. She was telling this relative that they should email her and my dad. She said, "Yeah, Randy is big into the Internet - can you believe that?!!!!?" I sat listening and laughed, wondering ... What exactly does it mean to be "big into the Internet." I asked Dad. Dad said, "Well, I know how to check e-mail." Troy said, "Yes but can you use The GOOGLE?" It turns out that he DOES know how to do a Google search and therefore he is indeed "big into the Internet." Technology be cursed, the older generation will not be left behind! (I'm so proud of you Dad. If you ever figure out how to leave a comment on the blog we will give you a certificate of Internet greatness.)

In closing for the weekend ... If you've been coming to this blog because you just recently learned of it (and you're big into the Internet) and want to find out more about Haiti, Lifeline, or what we're about ... Please ignore the last three months of posts and go to the first link (called More Information) on the left to get a more serious look at things. The blog has sort of left the track lately and has little to do with ministry in Haiti ... we're on furlough, we're delirious, and we're not exactly keeping it all about Haiti right now.

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Who we are...

To Reach Us: Livesayfamily@gmail.com - We live, learn, love, & work in Port au Prince, Haiti. In the 13 years we've been here, one thing we've learned: God is not made manifest in our ability to "fix" or heal, but in our need to be healed. Recognizing this weakness leaves us in a position of having little to offer. It reveals our own need to be restored. We are not fixers of people or things. We are here trying to extend love and grace to others, the way it has been extended to us.

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships - so that we may live deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people - so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war - so that we may reach out our hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in the world - so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor. Amen. (Franciscan Benediction)

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